Encouraging today's youth to use their lives to make a difference for the kingdom of God

Revisiting a Classic: Mere Christianity

We love what’s new.

Novelty quickly captures our attention.

We reach for cutting-edge.

Yet within this culture saturated with false and fickle, we should also make room for the tried and true.

EPLs Andrew and Kristi both delved into the C.S. Lewis classicMere Christianity. Check out Andrew’s review this month and Kristi’s next month – and we hope you also soon check out the book!

From the pen of EPL Andrew: Originally given over the radio waves of a war-torn Great Britain in the midst of World War II and later published as a written narrative, Mere Christianity is today still one of the greatest works of Christian apologetics and reason ever given. Author C.S. Lewis, known for his series The Chronicles of Narnia, masterfully and powerfully delivers in Mere Christianity a strong articulation of and reason for the Christian faith. Delivered to a people in a time of great strife, turmoil, and change, the lessons, metaphors, and logic of Lewis’s work still hold meaning and truth for readers who today face the many trials of the modern age. While by no means a “light read,” Mere Christianity is undoubtedly a must-read for any Christian who is serious about understanding, articulating, and defending their faith.

One of the great strengths of Lewis’s work is the use of metaphors and illustrations to explain deeper spiritual truths. Through the use of illustrations that are relevant to the time of its first presentation, such as battleships, Mere Christianity connects the foundations of Christian faith with the real experiences of his original audience. By tying what is most prominent in his listener’s minds, war, with the eternal truths of faith, Lewis shows the value and relevance of faith in God. In addition, he masterfully uses his illustrations in a way that does not exclude future generations of readers from gaining a similar understanding of faith. In many ways, the examples and truths Lewis covers in Mere Christianity are still relevant to the warring and uncertain world of the present.

While Lewis makes great use of illustrations and examples to portray truth and meaning, the real strength of his work is in his power of logic and reason. Instead of repeating the truths of Christianity over and over without defense ad nauseam or hiding behind complex theology and language, Lewis appeals strongly in each of his messages to sound logic and reason. To do this, Lewis masterfully walks readers step-by-step through the reasoning for why Christianity is logical, reasonable and necessary. It is this presentation of the logic of Christianity that is of the greatest value to modern readers. In a world where emotions and subjective truth too often trump objective truth and reality, Lewis provides the tool belt of logic and reason in Mere Christianityfor defending well one’s faith.